Healing
by starberrysakura
Summary: Sasuke's back after the ninja war. It isn't easy for things to go back to normal within Team Seven, but maybe it's better that way. Sometimes things fall apart before they get better. But Sasuke's heart only opens when Sakura's heart wants to close. Back from hiatus. Chapter 8 now uploaded.
1. Close

**EDIT: April 15, 2012 - Chapter 1 of Healing has been revised. Please reread. I'm very sorry for the long delay. I have been very busy, I still am for the next few weeks. I have outlined the next few chapters for this though. I also have a new story coming up soon. **

Hopefully, this revised version is more clear. I'm working on being more descriptive. I just see a scene in my head and I have to remember that in able to tell the story, I have to do a better job at describing everything. If you see mistakes, feel free to point them out and I will correct them. I don't have a beta so I appreciate any concrit.

**Title:** Untitled for now.

**Summary: **His heart only opens when hers wants to close.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I wouldn't mind owning Sasuke-kun though.

**Theme: **Post-canon

**Prompt: Day 18: **"Close"

**Medium: **Fanfiction

**Rating:** T

**Warning(s):** Violence, blood. Emotional.

**Comments:** Short drabbles for now. I interpreted the prompt to mean close as in the opposite of open instead of being nearby. First submission. This is part 1 of _?

"Why aren't you fighting back?" she paused, ceasing the harsh assault of her fists on his chest.

Sasuke stands still. He simply stares at her, silently telling her _that's a stupid question. It's obvious. I'm letting you have your revenge._ "I'm letting you accomplish your goal," he says. He says it so easily, his voice deep and smooth, but there is no trace of emotion in it.

Sakura drops her arms in defeat. Both of them brought back to the past as the leaves swirled around their bodies. The sudden gust of wind reminded her of that night. That night that he left Konoha, left Team Seven, left _her._ She was facing his back, just like always. Back then she had screamed, cried, and begged, but now, the unspoken words echoed in the silence.

_Revenge won't make you happy._

It was true. Sasuke Uchiha is foolish, but he isn't stupid. He has always known this. He did not need Sakura to remind him. The night his family died, all chances of him ever being happy again was buried deep into the earth as he dropped the bouquet of pink carnations on top of his mother's coffin.

Revenge wasn't for happiness. Revenge wasn't for justice. Sasuke's resolve claimed it was for closure. That would have to be enough.

He glances over at Sakura, the glints of something silver catching his eye. Her right hand grips it carefully, avoiding the blade. It has poison, he realizes. Unknown to her, Sasuke's onyx eyes are scrutinizing every movement, following her left hand as it traced over invisible bruises. At this he looks away, desperately trying to forget how his control slipped and forced his hand to break his vow. He remembers her tears, how easy it would have been to kill her if he used just a little more force. The guilt threatens to consume him, reminding him that he was a murderer. Even now, he wonders how he could have ever done it. Sakura was different from Naruto and Kakashi. He had always avoided hitting her, trying to keep her away from harm. He remembers every painful detail, but there is no recollection of what he was thinking at the time.

The barely there sound of her shoes crushing the grass breaks him out of his monster-filled cage. Her left fist is headed towards him again, holding promises of pain. Instinct almost makes him evade, but his will freezes his body, waiting for the attack. The knuckles of her right hand are turning white with the harsh grip she has on the blade of poison. He waits, staring into the once bright emerald yes that have now faded into a dull jade.

A chakra-laced punch sends him into a cluster of trees, the force enough to split and send him through a dozen or so trees, finally stopping to dent a thick trunk. His legs fail to support him and his body is slumping towards the ground. Sakura is quick to follow gripping the collar of a plain black shirt reminiscent of their genin days.

"I hate you."

The melodic voice doesn't match the seething tone. The grip is loosening on his collar; the knuckles are no longer white. His hand swiftly grabs her wrist. He glances at the blade in her other hand before moving his gaze back to her face. There is confusion in her eyes, overwhelmed by the fear she fought not to show. His eyes are no longer filled with hatred. There's sorrow enough to drown her in the endless black pools, not a hint of red in sight.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

For a moment, time stops. Their gazes held together by an invisible string. The world slowly comes back to them, bringing them back into reality. He recovers first, listening to the quickened pace of her heart. Sasuke's hand moves down to grip hers, their fingers overlapping on the handle of the kunai. Without hesitation, his eyes never leaving her frozen stare, he plunges the kunai deep into the left side of his chest. Half a second later, he pulls it out and throws it somewhere far from them, droplets of his blood staining the evergreen grass as the kunai embeds itself into the cherry blossom tree he had been sitting under.

The splatter of blood as his heart stops brings Sakura back to life. She releases his shirt as his eyes close and his body slumps forward. Tears fall as their bodies fall to the ground. The weight of his body presses against hers, threatening to suffocate her. The blood soaked through her shirt quickly and the warmth of the liquid startles her out of her stupor. She rolls his body of her quickly, her hands staining with blood as she tries to close the gaping wound.

_Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke-kun._

Images of Sasuke's dead body from her worst nightmares float through her head. His last words taunt her. This was closure for him, leaving her to deal with his dead body and open heart.

No, no that won't happen she tells herself. Her chakra desperately pours into his heart.

(To be continued.)


	2. Blood

**Title:** Healing

**Summary: **His heart only opens when hers wants to close.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I wouldn't mind owning Sasuke-kun though.

**Theme: **Post-canon

**Prompt: Day 18: **"Close"

**Medium: **Fanfiction

**Rating:** T

**Warning(s):** Violence, blood. Emotional.

**Comments:** Short drabbles for now. This is part 2 of _?

Kakashi arrives in a whoosh of leaves. He does not ask a single question. No, there would be time for that later. He wastes no time and hauling Sasuke's bloodied from over his shoulder. He disappears in another swirl of leaves, but not before grabbing Sakura's wrist to take her with them.

He has just put down Sasuke's unconscious form on the bed. His already low chakra severely reduced from a mission he just returned from. Add to that the transportation jutsu he just used on himself, Sasuke, Sakura. He leaves the basement, the special floor of the hospital, in a flash. He's bordering on chakra depletion but manages to arrive at the Head Doctor's office in the top floor in just seconds.

He forgoes knocking and pleasantries.

"Tsunade-sama, emergency in the basement."

Tsunade's eyes narrow at his words. She's used to Team Seven barging in without warning for often trivial matters, but she recognizes the urgency in Kakashi's voice.

"Shizune, follow us."

The three of them head back to the basement.

Sakura is there, her light blue dress covered in someone's blood. Tsunade is surprised to find Sasuke, bleeding profusely from an open wound in his chest. She immediately heads to the other side of the bed, swiftly grabbing a pair of gloves. Shizune springs into action, setting up the machines and attaching the wires to Sasuke.

Tears drip steadily from Sakura's eyes as she stitches up Sasuke's heart. Tsunade moves to other parts of his body, making sure to keep the blood flowing through Sasuke's veins and arteries.

Shizune appears at Sakura's side, noticing the dwindling chakra around her hands.

"That's enough Sakura. You've closed the wound. Tsunade-sama and I will finish the rest."

Sakura is reluctant to stop, but acknowledges the order. Both Tsunade and Shizune are more experienced than her. She trusts in them more than her own abilities when it comes to someone's life.

She sees Kakashi-sensei leaning against the far wall. His eyes follow her as she moves to sit on a chair far enough to give the medics enough space to work, but near enough to watch Sasuke.

She feels her teacher staring at the back of her head, alternating between looking at her and Sasuke, but she refuses to acknowledge him. She's glad he's remaining silent. She doubts she'd be able to speak. She's barely able to form coherent thoughts as she struggles to understand the situation. All Sakura knows is that Sasule-kun can't die. To everything else, she's numb. She doesn't even realize that she's been sitting there for almost an hour.

Sakura doesn't remember the dizzying sensation that accompanies a fainting spell. Everything just fades to black all of a sudden. Then bright lights shone through her eyelids. She awakes to find herself in the bed a few feet away from Sasuke's. Her attempts to sit up are stopped by Shizune's gentle hands. Kakashi-sensei is holding out a glass of water for her. Tsunade stands in the space between her and Sasuke, blocking her view of Sasuke's face and torso. She can barely see to the top of his raven hair and she wishes for Tsunade to move just a few inches more. Tsunade turns suddenly and walks over to her, until she can no longer see any part of Sasuke.

Shizune is arranging the pillows behind her, helping her sit up. She accepts the glass of water, taking a few sips, finding her throat to be very dry.

"Well? What happened Sakura?" Tsunade asks, in an even, calm tone.

"You already know," Sakura says, glancing at her teacher before returning her gaze to the glass of water.

"How is he?" Her whisper is quiet, but her desperation clear.

"Alive. Now tell us your version," the Godaime insists.


	3. Asleep

**Title:** Healing

**Summary: **His heart only opens when hers wants to close.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I wouldn't mind owning Sasuke-kun though.

**Theme: **Post-canon

**Medium: **Fanfiction

**Rating:** T

**Warning(s):** Violence, blood. Emotional.

**Comments:** Short drabbles for now. This is part 3 of _?

* * *

><p>"What is there to say?" Sakura replied hesitantly.<p>

"Kakashi-san said that he sent Pakkun to follow Sasuke because he wasn't supposed to leave the hospital yet," Shizune supplied, hoping to coax Sakura into continuing the tale.

"Then, Pakkun saw me follow Sasuke. I was asking him so many questions, but he wouldn't answer. I punched him and he just let me!" her voice remained barely above a whisper, but the frustration rang clear.

"Continue." Tsunade commanded.

"I told him to fight me back. He had no problem before. He tried to… kill me…more than once," Sakura's voice rose in pitch but her voice broke as she continued her defense. "He said that he never wanted to hurt me. That lying traitor. I asked him again why he wasn't fighting back. He wanted to let me have revenge. Turn me into an avenger like him. Then… I… took out a poisoned kunai. I wasn't going to use it… I just wanted to show him that I wasn't like him. That revenge doesn't solve anything, doesn't give you peace. But he… he…"

Sakura's tears were running freely down her face again. She desperately tried to wipe them away but they kept coming in waves. Shizune wrapped an arm around her guiding her head to her soft shoulder for comfort.

"Kakashi-sensei, I didn't mean to! I don't want Sasuke-kun to…" she couldn't even say it. The thought was too horrifying.

"My suspicions were correct. I figured he would do something like this," Kakashi said speaking up and offering a hand to Sakura to help her get up. Sakura eagerly accepted, desperately needing to see Sasuke alive and breathing.

"That wound alone wouldn't have killed Sasuke anyway. His resiliency and recovery rates are remarkable. Orochimaru was a monster, but he was truly a genius. He must have injected Sasuke with various drugs. Enhanced the Uchiha genes. I want you to do a full physical examination on him."

"It wasn't just Orochimaru. Sasuke must have subconsciously activated a shield around himself. No matter how hard he tried to repress it, it is human instinct to preserve life," Kakashi added, knowing about the Sharingan's capabilities.

"Whatever the case, Sasuke's condition is stable. He should wake up in a few days," Shizune added, noting the Sakura's still anxious expression.

By this point, with Kakashi's help, Sakura had already positioned herself on Sasuke's bed. One hand was tenderly combing its fingers through his messy black hair while the other carefully traced the bandages on Sasuke's bare chest.

* * *

><p>Sakura sat there, continuing to caress Sasuke-kun, ignoring Tsunade's disapproving stare. She glanced up to see the door close behind them, and waited for the sound of their footsteps to fade away.<p>

"Why, Sasuke-kun? Why do you always leave? Give us another chance. We can be a team again. Please don't ever do that again. At this rate, you're going to give me hematophobia," she whispered into his ear.

She pulled away slowly, to gaze at his peaceful mien again. It was rare to see Sasuke asleep. During their genin days, he was usually the one waking up her and Naruto.

She was startled to find his eyes were no longer closed. He blinked sleepily, then focused his obsidian eyes on hers.

Sakura gasped in surprise. Grinning, she threw her arms around him tightly.

* * *

><p>AN: I'l be updating again in a few days... I'm trying to decide on something. Please review. I apologize for the short length. I just had to get this part out of the way. I like to write things in small bits rather than one large thing. I do understand if you get annoyed at the format. I prefer reading things in large chunks. Kinda contradictory. Haha.

I have been very busy. I really do hope for a review. I need to know opinions! Do people like long descriptions of setting? Should I be describing the weather, the floor, the color of the room?

I know this story was put on hiatus for a while. So I'd be glad to know if people still like it.

Thank you to those that reviewed a long time ago! :D


	4. Awake

**Title:** Healing

**Summary: **His heart only opens when hers wants to close.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I wouldn't mind owning Sasuke-kun though.

**Theme: **Post-canon

**Medium: **Fanfiction

**Rating:** T

**Warning(s):** Emotional, Violence

**Comments:** Short drabbles for now. This is part 4 of _?

* * *

><p>"…Sakura"<p>

"You're awake! Are you feeling better?" Sakura asked as she slowly, carefully pulled herself away from him. Looking into his confused black eyes, still blinking sleepily, adjusting to the light, she was mesmerized. It was so difficult to remain mad at him when he was lying down on a hospital bed. The healer she was trained to be took over and she set aside her anger for another day.

He looked down at his body, taking stock of his various injuries. He slowly nodded and averted his eyes away from her.

When he gave no indication of speaking, Sakura continued in a soft voice, the one she would use for younger, Academy-age patients. "That kunai wasn't meant to hit you…"

At his silence, Sakura continued speaking, "…even back then, I never could use it." She hated speaking of those events. They were dreaded nightmares that she wanted to lock away in the deepest recesses of her mind, keep them suppressed and pretend they never happened. But, as she continued the life of a ninja, she found that the locked room was getting too small for al the monsters in her life.

"I know, " Sasuke replied, startling her. He closed his eyes and turned his head away from her, signaling an end to the mostly one-sided conversation. Sakura sighed but decided she would let it slide for now.

She pulled up his blanket, concealing the bandages. She got off his bed heading to hers, intent on sleeping for a few more hours to recuperate. Pausing in her steps, she wondered at the sudden impulse reminiscent of her genin days. Deciding to question her sanity at a later time, she turned back around and cupped Sasuke's cheek with her left hand. With her right, she combed his bangs away. Knowing Sasuke was still fully awake, she waited for him to stop feigning sleep and slap her hands away. But no sounds of protest came. So, she leaned down slowly, whispered into his ear, and gave the softest brush of her lips on his forehead.

_"Sleep well, Sasuke-kun."_

* * *

><p>AN: That was just finishing up the Sasuke waking up scene. Next chapter will be a timeskip of a few days and will be longer. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW please.

Since none of you are reviewing, I'm going to assume the short drabbles format is acceptable.

If you want longer chapters, you'll have to tell me.


	5. Questions

**Title:** Healing

**Summary: **His heart only opens when hers wants to close.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I wouldn't mind owning Sasuke-kun though.

**Theme: **Post-canon

**Medium: **Fanfiction

**Rating:** T

**Warning(s):** Emotional, Violence

**Comments:** Short drabbles for now. This is part 5 of _?

* * *

><p>At the sound of loud laughter approached, Sasuke pulled up his blanket, turning his back from the door. From the chakra, he deduced it was Naruto. He tried to feign sleep <em>again<em> but of course, Naruto knew nothing about politeness and simply barged in and started talking.

"Haha! I heard Sakura-chan beat you up!"

Naruto's obnoxious voice was loud enough for the whole hospital to hear. Great. He just gave the people even more things to talk about. Truthfully, he cared not for the rumor of Sakura "beating him up." It was false, by the way. It was never truly a fight; he was letting Sakura mete out deserved punches. Such things did not affect his pride (his mother had raised him as a gentleman and he avoided hitting women), but he preferred that the incident would remain between them.

Looking back on the incident, Sasuke realized that he had probably worsened their already strained relationship. He had offended Sakura by not fighting back, not treating her as an equal. This treatment of females impressed upon him by his upbringing had brought out Sakura's repressed insecurities about her perceived weakness. But even if he could go back in time and repeat the event, he would not have hit Sakura.

At the very least, his luck had not completely run out. Naruto did not seem to know about the kunai incident. He still could not remember what he was thinking during those moments. There was a strange sort of detachment when he replayed his memories. It felt more like he was just an observer, not able to control his own body, not fully controlling his own mind. What drove him to stab himself with the poisoned kunai, he was still unsure of. Perhaps, some part of him knew that it would not be enough to kill him. Blood loss could, if the time span was long enough. But he had been in the vicinity of the hospital and Sakura was there, as always. Or maybe, some depraved part of him assumed Sakura would have bloodlust and he wanted to please her. As his mind escaped from his darker thoughts to return to a more calm, neutral state, he noticed that Naruto still had not give up chanting his name and protesting about his "fake sleep."

"Idiot! I can hear you voice all the way to my office. This is a hospital. People are trying to sleep. If you don't tone down, I will throw you out the window and ensure that no one heals you," Sakura threatened making sure Naruto did not doubt her seriousness. She stepped into the room carrying a covered tray of food and a bottle of medicine. Sai was on her heels, pushing a cart of medical equipment.

"Geez, Sakura-chan! You're becoming crankier than Granny Tsunade!" Naruto protested.

"According to this book on etiquette, one should respect a friend's privacy. So, I assume this means you should stop asking Ugly about the incident regarding the Uchiha, " Sai recited, as if he was giving a lecture to class full of students.

Sakura gave a loud sigh. She motioned for Sai to leave the cart by Sasuke's bedside. Then, with a loud stomp of her right food, left hand on her hip, she pointed to the open door with her right hand, and hissed, leaving no room for argument "Leave. Now."

Naruto looked like he was about to protest but gave up when he saw the daggers in Sakura's eyes. Sai left with a friendly wave and closed the door behind them.

"Sasuke. I know you're awake. Sit up for your check-up." This tone of voice was so different. It was the strictly professional, no-nonsense type. Sasuke guessed that Sakura would use this voice with difficult patients. And he knew why. Sakura was exasperated at his reluctance to let other nurses check on him.

Sitting up, he obligingly cooperated, not wanting to give Sakura any more trouble. Strands of hair were escaping her loose bun, and the bags under her eyes were clearly visible.

Sakura sat by his bedside, her back to him but she twisted her body to face him more easily and asked, "Alright. I've given you enough time. Why did you stab yourself?"

Sasuke wanted to avert his eyes from her probing eyes, looking deep into his as if she could find the answers in the black abyss of his eyes. Yet Sasuke was never one to run away from battle, never one to back out. He returned the favor, looking straight into her eyes.

Sasuke replied simply, "You would not have done it, foolish girl."

* * *

><p>And it ends with a cliffhanger insult! Hahaha. No worries. Next update won't take long. Probably Friday or earlier with the right motivation.<p>

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! Glad you're all liking it so far. Hope you continue to read and review.

Thanks also for adding this to your alerts and faves. Would appreciate it if you reviewed along with that. It seems like you were interested enough to fave/alert, I would appreciate it if you told me your thoughts on the story.

So this, chapter isn't very long compared to some of the super long thousands of words chapters I've seen on this site. However, if you compare it to the previous chapters, it's longer. It is about 1k words.

I will continue to work on adding depth to scenes.

Again, keep reading :D

To be continued….


	6. Revelations

**Title:** Healing

**Summary: **His heart only opens when hers wants to close.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I wouldn't mind owning Sasuke-kun though.

**Theme: **Post-canon

**Medium: **Fanfiction

**Rating:** T

**Warning(s):** Emotional, Violence

**Comments:** Short drabbles for now. This is part 6 of _?

EDIT: May 27, 2012: This is an edited version of chapter 6. Some errors were fixed and I added line breaks. Chapter 7 should show up in a little bit. I'm finishing it up. I apologize for the month-long wait.

-S-

"Oh. So now, it's foolish? What happened to 'annoying'?" Sakura asked, fighting the urge to yell at him. Sasuke had such an angelic face, but as soon as he opened his mouth the devilish smirk came out and Sakura wanted nothing more than to punch him. There she was giving him space, taking care of him (beyond what is required from doctors and nurses), and he insulted her. "And what makes you think I wouldn't have? That kunai has a very strong poison on it. It comes from a rare type of –"

"—snake venom, specifically Blue Krait,* which I have been mostly immunized against over the years. That, and various other poisonous substances. And you already know that because you are one of the medics attending me." Sasuke interrupted her. Really, Sasuke was getting on her nerves. She was already very tired from having to heal a pervert that was beaten up by a group of civilian fathers. Sakura had wanted nothing more than to break his nose, but her duties prevented her from doing so. She was about to speak again, but Sasuke abruptly cut her off confidently claiming, "You were unable to do it when your life was in danger. Much less now, considering I have sided with Konoha."

Sakura was rendered speechless at that. Sasuke did not even have his Sharingan activated and he could easily detect her lies. With a sigh, she decided that she should probably tell Naruto soon. Ever since Sasuke had come back, Naruto was always there, trying to patch up their Team. He was proving that the Naruto Bridge truly deserved his name.

"Fine. You're right as always. But… that doesn't really answer why you would…" Sakura had started out sounding irritated, but the concern won out, even as she fought to veil it. His explanation was true, of course. Yet, rather than explaining his own actions, he twisted the conversation so that he was in control. Sasuke gave answers that only served to confuse Sakura even more.

The wind rustled through the open windows. The hustle and bustle of the hospital murmured just outside the door. Still, to Sakura, it was a deafening silence again. One that Sasuke would not break. She knows this from experience. Who was the one that would sit at his bedside for hours despite the silence? Some things would remain the same. Sakura allowed herself to take some comfort in that. _Even if a nagging voice in her asked if that was truly enough to console her._ With a loud sigh, Sakura stood up and handed Sasuke the tray of food.

Sakura strode over to the door, taking carefully measured steps. Not too slow, not wanting to show hesitance, but not too speedy. She could not have Sasuke thinking she could not handle him. Admitting defeat for the time being, she slowly turned the knob. As her right leg crossed the threshold, Sasuke's voice drifted to her ears. It lacked the usual confidence and authority that every syllable from his mouth commanded.

"I don't know, Sakura."

It's the first time in years Sasuke has admitted to not knowing something.

-S-

As Sakura left the room in a daze, going back over her conversation with Sasuke several times, she found it was surreal. She heard every word, but somehow it all sounded like a foreign language. In hindsight, she should have just gone back to avoiding him. Deciding that Sasuke's words was not something she wanted to deal with at the moment, she shoved aside their conversation and saved it for a restless night.

When Sakura opened her office door, she was unsurprised to find Sai and Naruto already occupied her navy blue plastic chairs, comfortably shaped like gentle waves. Nor was she surprised to see no trace of laughter on his sun-tanned face.

"Sakura-chan, why was Sasuke poisoned?" He immediately asked, blue eyes looking at her, not in the same scrutinizing way that Sasuke's did, but still searching.

"I didn't poison him. He did that to himself," Sakura finally relented, finding herself defensive even though there was no hint of accusation in Naruto's voice. Naruto would just keep on pestering her until he got an answer anyway. No matter how many times she slammed the door on his face, Naruto would keep trying.

"The kunai and the poison were mine. But I wasn't planning on using it. I wanted to show him that we're different. We can't kill our own teammates. I wanted to see how he would react. But he took it from me…, " she trailed off, looking away from Naruto and Sai. The latter was silently observing the interaction, but she trusted that both of them would be able to piece it all together.

There was a short pause. Then Naruto shook his head, looking down on the floor and said in a voice far quieter than his normal tone, "He still hasn't forgiven himself." Another pause, and a new determination sparked in Naruto's voice, "Before we left the campsite to search for the rest of Danzo's minions, he wanted to see you. I think he wanted to apologize, Sakura-chan."

"I cannot confirm his ideas, but I can verify that the Uchiha did repeatedly appear before the medical tent. But he always left seconds later," Sai spoke up, noting his observations like a scientist reading lab results.

"That's ridiculous, Naruto. Sasuke wouldn't apologize to me, of all people. He was probably trying to ask for medical supplies. At least he had the decency to realize, it's impolite to disturb the girl he repeatedly tried to kill!" Sakura was seething by now. Naruto was trying to patch up Team Seven again, pretending they were all one big happy family. She had already acknowledged that a part of her could not stop caring for Sasuke, but she had no intentions of befriending a murderer.

"Give him a chance, Sakura-chan! Don't you remember? Sasuke has always cared about you. He never wanted to hurt -"

"Enough, Naruto! I refuse to listen to your constant defense of that traitor." Sakura was not yelling, but the hurt and malice was clear in her voice. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Naruto stood up and dragged Sai out the door, conceding that it was pointless to argue with Sakura when she refused to be swayed.

-S-

A/N:

1) Blue Krait is a real snake. It ranks at #3 in a list of most venomous snakes. Sasuke was immunized against it (courtesy of Orochimaru. That evil scientist was good for something after all!), but it's still a very potent neurotoxin. The effect was some muscle paralysis, which is why Sasuke immediately slumped down. Death happens within a few hours. So, Sasuke did still have to receive some antivenin but honestly, I forgot to include that. Let's just pretend Tsunade gave him some after healing his wounds.

2) An anon reviewer mentioned grammar errors. Please point them out to me. To be honest, I don't edit chapters before I post them… I just want to immediately post them. I'm the type of person that waits a while before going back and editing things. Because if I check it now, I won't catch the mistakes. I give it some time then go back and edit.

3) Oh, and kudos to mistressinwaiting! (Belated happy birthday, BTW) She caught the Itachi reference. ("Foolish girl" from last chapter). I really like Itachi in the manga, but usually dislike him in fanfics because they put him in a love triangle with Sakura and Sasuke (which I detest very much).

4) It's been brought to my attention that some readers may be confused about the interactions between Team 7, like why Naruto pokes fun at Sasuke so easily. My answer: It will be revealed in upcoming chapters. There's a reason for that and I'm very glad that the readers are noticing that something seems amiss.

5) Why do my line breaks keep disappearing? I just used -S- instead. I hope that's alright.


	7. Silence

**Title:** Healing

**Summary: **His heart only opens when hers wants to close.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I wouldn't mind owning Sasuke-kun though.

**Theme: **Post-canon

**Medium: **Fanfiction

**Rating:** T

**Warning(s):** Emotional, Violence

**Comments:** Short drabbles for now. This is part 7 of _?

-S-

"Kakashi, you're an idiot. You get three students. Just three. And they all end up like you. Luckily for Sakura, she's got Shizune and I," Tsunade declared in between sips of sake.

_Why am I always getting the blame? _Kakashi sweatdropped, but chose not to voice his thoughts aloud. The Fifth had a nasty temper and a voice even louder than Naruto's when she got fired up. He'd rather not go deaf.

"Uchiha! What happened to his 'genius' brain? Half the village already thinks he's insane and he pulls a stunt a like this," Tsunade continued to rant.

Sasuke glanced up at her from his half-sitting, half-laying down position on the hospital bed. Hokage was drunkenly scolding Kakashi like a squawking mother hen, talking about him like he wasn't fully awake.

"And Naruto's out there yelling that Sakura beat up the brat. The staff that heard that have somehow spun it into a story about a lovers' spat. Kakashi, I know you're laughing behind that book! This is not funny!"

Tsunade ended her tirade and threw the emptied bottle at Kakashi's head, which he easily dodged with a single step to the side.

Shizune escorted her out the room after the smashing display, and her parting comments about making sure "stupid Kakashi gets removed from his position as future sixth Hokage" were heard as their steps faded away.

_A lovers' spat? No wonder Sakura had an irritated look again._

"No one besides us knows what truly happened. Yamanaka and the other nurses have come up with amusing stories. Team Seven continues to be the favorite topic, specifically you and Sakura. It's very entertaining, " Kakashi quipped once they were alone. He watched Sasuke's face carefully, looking at the subtle change in his eyes. There was that faraway look again as he contemplated the new piece of information.

"Naruto's making a ruckus about you hogging all the attention again."

At this, Sasuke spoke up, making his own annoyance known, "It's his loud mouth that got us into this mess." _Sakura should blame them for the gossip, not me._

"True, but that doesn't change the fact that you and Sakura did cause a commotion. Be thankful that the gossip has turned in this direction, or the clan heads will be petitioning Tsunade again about your 'mental instability.'"

Sasuke looked away again. His face remained blank, but Kakashi's keen eyes did not miss the slight downturn of Sasuke's mouth. Knowing that Sasuke was definitely not going to speak again after the stab at his pride, Kakashi ended the conversation with the warning that Sakura was arriving. He headed out the door and kept it open for Sakura and the tray of food and medicine that always came at exactly noon for the past 7 days. Today was his eleventh day at the hospital and he would be released on the evening of his twelfth day. He had wanted to be released earlier, but Hokage threatened him with the prospect of more genin missions for the rest of the year.

Sakura was already at his bedside before he could delve deeper into Kakashi's comments. Just like at breakfast five hours ago, Sakura did not greet him with customary pleasantries. She did not even bother to put up the façade of professionalism. Sakura quietly and quickly checked his vital signs. The door closed behind her, leaving only the tray of food and medicine as an indication that she had come.

He was not accustomed to this silence from Sakura. Most of his memories of Sakura were filled with her tireless chatter. Even when he directly told her to be quiet, Sakura could not resist not talking to him. Truthfully, he didn't mind it that much. He already had enough deafening silence whenever he came home to his empty apartment. And those were the better days. There were far too many days with taunting voices. Sometimes, he was thankful for Sakura's babble, for her always-cheerful voice used to drown out the whispering that seemed to always be on the verge of overwhelming him.

But his times with Sakura weren't always filled with noise. There were moments where Sakura didn't feel the need to fill the empty void of silence with conversation. It was a comfortable silence.

This was not.

Why did it bother him so much when silence was familiar, was preferable?

-S-

A/N: So here's the actual chapter 7. I uploaded the wrong thing yesterday. This version's been edited too.

-May 28, 2012-


	8. Blabbermouth

**Title:** Healing Chapter 8

**Summary: **His heart only opens when hers wants to close.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I wouldn't mind owning Sasuke-kun though. J

**Theme: **Post-canon

**Medium: **Fanfiction

**Rating:** T

**Warning(s):** Emotional, Violence

**Comments:** Short drabbles for now. This is part 8 of _?

Also, I decided to use SasuSaku Month prompts for this story as well so I can finish all of them.

Prompt: Day 15- Blabbermouth.

-S-

Rumors fly like little birds with broken wings, with every stop at each ear having a different sound, as more feathers fly off and the wings start to vanish. The listening ears refused to let the little bird have its rest. They would try to fix the wings, adding in whatever they fancied. Thus, the little bird would fly from ear to ear to the point that it has become unrecognizable, with only the tiniest speck of truth hidden underneath the layers of feathers.

Sakura has had her fair share of rumors. When she was seven, the sun, the moon, the stars, and even galaxies, all revolved around Sasuke-kun. She remembered the most prominent rumor, and the only one she truly believed because there was a legitimate source, was the one about Sasuke-kun liking long hair. She confirmed this herself. Her mother and Sasuke-kun's mother had been friends. Sasuke-kun and his mother would sometimes come over for tea. Mikoto-san would bring cute little Sasuke-kun along for a "play date" with her.

"If I had a daughter, I would let her hair grow long. And Sakura has such beautiful pink hair. Wouldn't she look cute, Sasuke?" Mikoto asked while combing her fingers through Sakura's hair.

"Like yours, mother? Of course," Sasuke had eagerly replied.

Sakura had blushed deeply and her mother laughed mentioning that Sakura could grow her hair long if she took care of it properly. And that had started Sakura's obsession with her hair.

In hindsight, it was more likely that Sasuke just agreed with everything his mother said to please her.

-S-

On a bright partly cloudy day, the perfect weather since the sun was partially hidden by the clouds but still shined brightly, there was a pleasant breeze. It had all the makings of a beautiful day that could easily make a person smile as soon as they stepped out their doors.

But not for Sakura. Sure, she woke up after a long sleep, without an alarm. That already made her happy. Plus, her parents were already awake. Her father served her a delicious breakfast.

Yet, just a few meters outside of her house, Sakura passed by a group of girls she knew from her Academy days. As she neared them, they noticed her and huddled together.

"I heard that she told Sasuke-sama she's pregnant and he doesn't believe it's his baby."

"Why would he sleep with her though? She's so short and flat-chested."

"Is that why they were fighting? He was probably…"

At that point Sakura had purposely disappeared from sight, jumping up onto the rooftops and far away from them. The smile was wiped away replaced with a scowl.

Lost in her musings, she was startled and almost tripped as Ino glomped her.

"So~ when were you planning to tell me that you and Sasuke did it? How was it? You're so lucky to have your first time with Sasuke-kun! Were you not careful? Is that why there are rumors you're pregnant?"

"Ugh! Not you too, Ino!" Sakura protested, extricating herself from Ino's grasp.

The cheeky smile and eyebrow wiggling faded away when Ino took note of Sakura's very irritated growl.

"When I find out who started that rumor, they better start running now."

"Come on~ It's not like anyone is going to seriously believe those ridiculous rumors."

"That's not the point. I don't want to be the main topic of the gossip queens."

"It will be fine. Everyone knows Sasuke still thinks girls have cooties anyway. Actually, I think he's allergic to normal human beings." Ino joked. She was going to add: that's the reason he went to a creepy snake-man. But then realized that maybe it was still a sensitive topic.

The joke was effective and Sakura's scowl was turned into a reluctant grin for one second. Then, it was replaced by a dejected look followed by a sigh, "I just wish they'd leave us alone. I don't know how to face Sasuke today. I don't want people to think my parents didn't raise me well. I don't even know where this stupid rumor got started."

At this point they were walking into the hospital's lobby. A few of the nurses and other staff turned to look at Sakura for a moment but wisely kept quiet.

Ino reasoned, "It's probably because it was never a secret that you had a crush on Sasuke. And now that he's back, people are probably wondering about when he'll get married and rebuild the Uchiha clan. You're the most probable candidate because you're on his team and the only one he can tolerate."

_It was more than a crush_, Sakura thought. She shook her head, "I don't think Sasuke-kun is going to start dating anytime soon. And if he does marry, it won't be me. He tolerates me because all the other medics aside from Shizune-senpai and Tsunade-sama are afraid of him. If anyone, I guess he would pick someone from nobility, like some of the past Uchiha wives."

"Maybe. But I really think -" Sakura cut her off.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. I don't want to talk about Sasuke-kun's personal life." Sakura felt uneasy talking about Sasuke's clan.

She would not admit that the other reason for wanting a change of topic was the bitter aftertaste of discussing Sasuke's future bride. Somehow she just could not imagine Sasuke with a wife and family. Did she think Sasuke incapable of love? Right now, she could not answer that question.

They parted ways; Ino headed to one of the labs and Sakura continued on her way to Sasuke's room for his daily check up.

When she opened the door, a big orange blob that put its arm around her shoulders greeted her.

"Sakura-chan! There you are. You and Sasuke-teme should make-up now. We don't want your relationship problems affecting the rest of the team. And since I'm the one that helped you guys get together, you should name your first-born after me."

One.

Two.

Three.

"Naruto! I should've known it was you! You're a stupid blabbermouth!" The last word was punctuated by a rough uppercut. But apparently he wasn't that much of an idiot. The clone disappeared and the real Naruto bolted from his hiding place at the end of the hallway.

"Get back here and I'll make sure you won't be able to talk anymore!"


End file.
